A Christmas after -A
by White Tigresss
Summary: Set one year later after 5x13. The liars have taken –A down and have followed with their lives. Still, there are many things left for Emily and Alison to settle. ONE SHOT


**Hey guys! This is my Christmas one-shot. I hope you enjoy it. Merry Christmas!**

* * *

**A Christmas after -A**

Six months later after taking –A down, the Liars have moved on with her lives, along with her bed buddies, of course! Spencer finally got accepted into UPenn and Toby asked for a transfer to move with her. He wanted to be a detective and then come back to Rosewood, while she aimed to be a state attorney, breaking the Hastings' tradition of good lawyers.

Hanna went to New York to study fashion and Caleb had no trouble following her. While she studied to be a stylist, he developed a new computer system which rivaled even the Mac OS system. That granted him an important job at Apple at such young age and with no qualification at all.

Aria, after –A mined her chances at Brown, chose to stay in Rosewood to study English at Hollis. Byron, her father, helped Ezra get a teaching job at Hollis again. Therefore, the couple stayed together. Alison also stayed at Rosewood in high school to get enough credits to go to college. She had no idea of what she wanted to do in the future.

Emily got enough credits to follow Paige to California. They dated for a while until both of them decided it was best to remain just friends. After that, Emily had some flings here and there while Paige started to date Sydney, who finally came out of the closet.

Through all of this –A stuff, Ali managed to mend her relationship with the girls. Both sides of the story admitting to lying to and hurting each other, but it was Alison who had to earn their trusts again. And as impossible as it sounds, she did. However, Emily decided to not let her in. She told Alison they could be friends again, but nothing else because she believed her friend was too toxic.

After Emily left to California, the distance between the two girls only seemed to increase. But it didn't go unnoticed by the other girls.

On their group on WhatsApp, Spencer had the brilliant idea of inviting her friends to her lake house on Christmas. Toby was the first to accept, as he was her boyfriend and he wasn't so close to his family anyway. Aria and Ezra accepted the invitation, stating only that they would be having lunch with the Montgomeries the day after. Hanna and Caleb accepted too, as they were going to California on New Year and this could be the last chance they'd meet their friends for a while.

Alison joined in too because she had no family to spend the holiday with (her father was working and Jason was in Georgia) and she didn't want another miserable Christmas as last year's had been. Emily was the only one to deny, claiming she'd spend it with her parents. However, Pam and Wayne were going on a second honeymoon sort of trip, and that left her with no choice but to say yes to her friends.

* * *

Spencer and Toby were preparing the Christmas chicken when Ezra and Aria arrived.

"I'd kill you guys if you weren't the first ones to arrive" – Spencer joked and hugged Aria.

"Perfect timing, so" – Ezra handed Toby the two boxes he'd been holding.

"So, what did you bring?" – Toby put them balcony.

"Pie" – The teacher answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You brought two pies?" – Spencer arched her brow.

"Indeed! One is a vegetable pie and the other is an apple pie" – He pointed at the boxes so Toby could arrange them.

"Why pie?" – The cop was still trying to understand.

"Why not pie?" – Aria challenged back.

"You need to stop messing your relationship habits with ours, Aria" – Spencer joked.

The oven tickled – "Chicken's calling for you, Spence"

One moment later, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get the door" – Toby offered and opened the door to Hanna and Caleb.

"Hey guys, it's frickin' cold out there" – Hanna hugged her arms.

"Hey, what did you bring?" – Toby asked.

"We brought wine" – Caleb smiled.

"One thing: no one is getting drunk! Two things: no one is doing it on my Nana's couch" – Spencer yelled from the kitchen.

"Chill out, Spence! We already fulfilled that fantasy!" – Hanna shout back.

"What the hell?" – Ezra asked Aria in disbelief.

"Don't ask" – She whispered back.

"I'd rather not" – He agreed.

"Also, I always had the greatest taste of us when it came to wine" – Hanna barged into the kitchen – "And I brought you a Chilean"

Spencer just smiled.

* * *

Alison looked at her watch. She was already dead late and her car wasn't turning on. She considered calling a taxi, but then she remembered that even taxi drivers had families whom to spend the holidays with. Ali thought of calling Emily, but was scared that the other girl would turn her down. However, she didn't have much choice if she wanted to make it to their little celebration.

She dialed Em's number and waited.

* * *

Emily was already halfway to Spencer's lake house when she heard her phone vibrating. She usually wasn't one for driving and using her phone, but she knew the girls might need her to bring something they might've forgotten. When she checked the screen, she saw Alison's name.

"Ali?" – She said.

"Em, my car broke down and I can't find a taxi. Could you give me a ride to Spencer's, please?"

Emily was halfway through her destination, but she couldn't resist to Ali's pleas. She took the nearest return and headed back to the DiLaurentises'.

"Thanks" – Ali murmured as she opened the passenger's door.

"You're welcome" – Emily tried not to look at the woman beside her. She turned her engine on. The one time Em glanced at Ali, she noticed the blonde's nose was red from the cold outside.

"I'll turn the heating on"

"Thanks again" – Alison brushed her hands together to warm her numb fingers. They both kept their eyes on the road.

"So… What are you taking there?" – Ali broke the ice.

"Caesar Salad" – Emily kept staring ahead – "And you?"

"Risotto" – Alison looked at her and tried to win more empathy – "So… How's Cali?"

"Hotter than here, that's for sure" – Em rose the temperature of her car.

"I've got an extra jacket here. I can borrow you if you want" – Ali motioned to get the piece of clothing.

"No, thank you" – It sounded colder than Emily had intended to. Silence stood again.

"So… Do you have any girlfriend back there?" – Alison wanted to know.

"No one worth taking to a Christmas Eve in my friend's house" – In fact, Emily wished she had someone who could make her forget about Alison. The thing is, she didn't want to forget at all.

"There's someone, you lucky lady!" – The blonde punched her in the arm jokingly while feeling her heart tear up inside.

"There are several. Sometimes, I don't even know their names" – The swimmer admitted.

"Oh" – Ali had mixed feelings about it. It seemed like Emily didn't have any girlfriend, so there are still dime hopes for her. On the other hand, it seemed also that Emily didn't want anything serious by now. Alison wondered if this cold and detached Em was her doing too.

"What about you?" – The brunette didn't want to know, but she died of curiosity. When did her thoughts become so complex?

"There's nothing really" – Alison's eyes turned to the window.

"You're a pretty girl! Someone must've…" – Emily couldn't believe the blonde was single too. In her mind, Alison had lines and lines of men (and women, maybe) waiting on her door to have a chance with her.

"Nobody wants to date the dead girl, Emily" – She sighed. The last year was a lonely one for Alison. When her friends were gone, no one would stand up for her and no one would even talk to her. She made no new friends and she felt lonelier than ever.

"I'm sorry, Ali" – Emily felt the other girl's sadness besides her and wanted to comfort her.

"Don't be. I wouldn't be interested in them anyway" – Alison and Emily shared a look and felt the sparkles fly all over the brunette's car.

"Uh, look, we're getting there!" – Em put her eyes back on the road. There's no way she could resist those blue eyes much longer.

* * *

"Look, it's Emison!" – Hanna screamed when the two women entered the house.

"What the hell, Hanna?" – Alison held the door so Emily could get into with her dish of salad.

"It's your cute couple name!" – The blonde hugged them.

"We're not a couple, for God's sake!" – Emily gave Spencer her salad.

"Of course you are! You gave Ali a ride here and she held the door for you! You two love each other!" – Even Toby joked.

"Yay! Emison rules!" – Hanna delivered each one of them a glass of wine.

"Emison? Really?!" – Ali arched her brow.

"Don't complain, at least you're not Ezria. I can't even pronounce that" – The other blonde winked.

"Hey!" – Both Aria and Ezra whined at the same time.

* * *

An hour after their arrival, Emily and Alison sat at the table with their other friends. They made their Christmas prayers and started to enjoy the meal.

As Emily and Alison reached for the vegetable pie, their fingers met, the brunette's hand resting over the blonde's. Electricity ran through them, as their friends were trying so hard not to laugh right now.

"Sorry" – Emily drew her hand away.

"It's okay – Alison took a slice of the pie and put it on the brunette's plate – "Here"

"Thanks, Ali" – Em blushed.

"Spence, do u have any music dvd?" – Hanna texted.

"I do. Why?" – The brunette answered.

"We r dancing after dinner" – The blonde declared and they returned their eyes to the table so no one would notice.

* * *

They dined and Spencer led her guests back to the living room and turned on the DVD.

"Baby, what are you doing?" – Toby was clueless.

"LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!" – Hanna lifted a can of beer in the air and music started to pump in.

"Where did this beer come from?" – Aria frowned.

"She's Hanna! Her hands are quick and light" – Caleb stated the obvious.

The group started to dance to the rhythm of the song. However, David Guetta didn't meet the romantic expectations Aria had for the Emison couple.

"Hanna, I don't think this will work" – Aria danced close to the blonde and whispered into her ear.

"Or course it will! It's perfect!" – She was already a little tipsy.

"We need a song the couples can dance to!" – Aria went to the DVD and picked its box. Luckily, there were two songs in a sequence that would do the trick.

"Hey!" – Spencer and Hanna yelled when she stopped the DVD.

"And this one goes to the couples!" – The small brunette returned to the group as Mambo nº 5 kicked in.

"God, I love this song!" – Hanna closed her eyes as she dragged Caleb's hands to her waist.

"H-Hanna, I d-don't dance" – He stuttered.

"Of course you do, silly!" – For this plan to work, none of the boys could sit out.

"Can you give me the honor of this dance?" - Ezra was a gentleman. There were only a few opportunities in which he and Aria could dance freely without being judged by other people. So, he wanted to make the most of this one.

Aria just smiled and took his hand.

"Don't you dare leave me standing alone, Toby!" – Spencer gave him a warning look.

"I would never dream of" – He whispered sweetly in her ear and pulled her close.

As the couples started to dance around, Emily and Alison tapped their feet awkwardly.

"Em…" – Ali started.

"You wanna dance?" – The brunette barely whispered. Her rational side was telling her not to do it because it'd mean nothing in the end, while her heart kept saying to hold this gorgeous woman close to her and never let her go.

"Sure" – She nodded and offered her hand to the swimmer. Emily took it and surprised Alison by gently spinning her and pressing her back against her tanned torso. She felt the perfume of the blonde invading her nostrils and held her like this just a little longer than expected.

Alison closed her eyes when she felt those mounds pressed against her back and that sweet breathing close to her cheek. Emily held her a little like this before spinning her back and pulling their fronts together. They started to swing back and forth like the other couples in the room.

Towards the end of the song, Emily's hands accidentally slipped to Alison's ass. The blonde's eyes widened in surprise and Em tried to awkwardly return her hands to her waist, but ended up slipping her hand under Ali's shirt. Before Emily could create any more embarrassments, Alison placed her hands over hers and adjusted them at her waist.

"S-Sorry" – That was all the brunette managed to say.

"Getting a little handsy, are we?" – Alison whispered in her ear and she blushed.

Mambo n.º 5 ended and was shortly followed by the ballad "Truly, Madly, Deeply". Emily sensed the change in the mood and tried to walk away from the dance. However, Alison surprised her by pulling her close by the waist.

"C'mon, Em. It's just a dance" – It wasn't just a dance for Alison, however. She rested her chin on Emily's shoulder and inhaled her fruity perfume. The brunette put her hands on her shoulders and pushed her away slightly, making Ali look at her.

"Just this one, Ali" – She warned before wrapping her wrist behind the blonde's neck.

They kept dancing on the living room. Emily eventually relaxed into Alison's gentle embrace and rested her head close to the blonde's neck. Ali enjoyed the moment and pulled the brunette even closer to her while sliding her hand up in her back.

Echoes of fireworks reached the house, reminding its inhabitants that it was Christmas.

"Merry Christmas, EVERYOOOOONE" – Maybe Hanna was a little more than tipsy.

Emily pulled away from Ali just enough to be facing her. Alison took a deep breath before saying anything. _It's now or never_.

"Merry Christmas, Emily" – She leaned and whispered in her ear before kissing her chastely on the cheek and walking away to greet other people while mentally kicking herself on thoughts. _You stupid coward! Why couldn't you just kiss her on the lips?_

Emily just froze in there and put her hand right on the spot Ali had kissed. Oh God, she could still feel her lips on her cheek.

"Em, stop drooling, will ya?" – Hanna approached with Caleb.

"I-I'm not drooling" – She composed herself.

"We saw that, Emily. One more inch to the right and that would be the first Emison kiss in History" – Hanna joked. The other Liars didn't know that Emily and Ali had kissed three times before already.

"Hanna…" – Em tried to argue.

"Emily, if you like her, go for it!" – Caleb said.

"I don't know if she likes me in that away" – The brunette pondered.

Oh, she does! Believe me, she wouldn't have kissed you that way if she didn't" – Hanna rolled her eyes.

* * *

On the other corner, Alison was hugging Spencer when Aria interrupted the moment.

"Hey, what was that kiss on Emily's cheek, Ali?" – She chimed in.

"Merry Christmas for you too, Aria" – The blonde smirked.

"Don't run away, Ali! I was about to ask you the same question. Just had the common sense to congratulate you first" – Spencer pressed.

"It was nothing, guys" – She lied – "I just kissed her like I would kiss any of you"

"Really? I'm still waiting for that peck on my cheek" – Spence rebounded and Alison was left wordless.

"Ali, tell me, what do you really feel for Emily?! Because, even though it's been almost five years, she's still head over heels for you as if you were still fifteen!" – Aria pushed her against the wall.

"It's none of your business, okay?" – The blonde snapped.

"Yes, it is! If you're still planning on using Emily's feelings, I will never forgive you, Alison!" – The tall brunette threatened.

The reminders of the past stung on Ali's chest – "I thought we were so over this" - And she stormed out of the house.

* * *

"Guys, what just happened here?" – Hanna and Emily came as soon as they saw Alison leaving.

"We just had an argument" – Aria told.

"About what?" – Emily didn't like fighting in Christmas.

"You…" – Spencer answered cautiously.

"What?! You too?" – The swimmer asked in disbelief.

"Listen, Em, we just don't want you to get hurt" – Aria tried to soothe her friend.

"You know what? I'm so fucking tired of you meddling into our business" – Emily burst out – "Leave me and Ali alone!" – And she left too.

* * *

Emily didn't have to look hard to find a blonde head lurking in the grass. Alison was sitting by the lake, her eyes lost in the horizon.

"Did they send you here?" – The blonde didn't even bother to look.

"I came by myself" – Emily sat beside her.

"Did they talk to you? "

"Yes, they did"

"And what did you say?"

"I told them to mind their own business" – Em said angrily and Alison laughed a little.

They stood in silence just watching the stars. Emily shivered.

"You're cold" – Ali noted.

"I'm fine"

"No, you're not" – She insisted – "Take this" – She took off her own jacket and wrapped around those tanned shoulders. Instantly, the swimmer felt Ali's scent exhaling from above her chin.

"Thanks" – Emily blushed – "What about you?"

"I'll be fine" – The blonde shrugged off. She was wearing a thick long-sleeved shirt and a scarf.

"I thought you said you had an extra jacket" – The swimmer reminded.

"Well, I lied" – Alison admitted and it was Emily's time to laugh.

"Do you believe in them?" – The blue-eyed woman asked.

"No" – Em answered – "I don't believe that they actually believe in what they said. You've changed and you proved it to us a long time ago"

"It doesn't matter" – Ali turned her eyes away.

"Why?' – The brunette put her hands on hers.

"Doesn't matter how I've changed. I can't change the past" – Alison stared down at the grass – "Every day it kills me up inside to know that I've hurt you beyond repair"

Emily placed her left hand on Ali's chin and turned her face so she could watch her eyes – "It's not too late to try"

"Let me go, Emily. You deserve so much better than me" – Ali turned her face away from the other woman's hands and tried to leave.

"No, wait!" – Em grabbed her wrist and pulled her down fiercely. Alison almost fell on top of her and Emily feared for a moment that she'd actually injured her friend. However, she quickly forgot that as she found herself ready to tell Alison all the feelings that had haunted her mind for a while.

"Alison, maybe what you've just said is true: I deserve someone better than you because you broke my heart way too many times…" – She started.

"You don't need to tell me this!" – Ali snapped in the middle of her speech.

"Don't speak!" – Emily ordered and the blonde remained quiet – "Maybe I deserve someone better than you, but I don't want anybody other than you! Every little thing you do is magic and I can't even think straight when you're around" – Alison couldn't suppress the smile on her face – "I tried so many times to find you in other girls, Alison! But having sex with strangers is nowhere near as good as having you kiss my cheek like you did half an hour ago"

Ali was rendered speechless for a moment. She took a deep breath before opening her mouth again.

"Emily, you're such a good girl with such a good heart" – The blonde tucked the swimmer's hair behind her ear – "And I am such a mess of a person"

"I can't fix you" – Em was sincere – "But as long as you're with me, I'll try to make you feel happy, safe… and loved"

Alison stopped resisting and whispered – "If you're willing to give me that chance, I'd do anything just to see you smile" – And she rested her forehead against Emily's.

"Like you even had to try" – The brunette closed the gap between them and finally tasted those heart-shaped lips she'd yearned for all these years. Alison's hands slid to her waist and the blonde somehow snaked her body closer to hers. Emily's response was to dig her hands in those golden locks and scratch the back of Ali's neck.

Tongues swirled inside the mouths and Ali pulled them down onto the grass. She broke the kiss to breathe again.

"I love you" - Alison whispered as she ran her thumb on those bronze lips. She's never been really good with words and this simple phrase summed up all the emotions flowing through her heart. She cupped Emily's face and pulled her in again. The brunette kissed her back and started to run her hands up and down her back, exposing her sun-kissed skin to the cold Winter air.

"Hey, you two! Get a room!" – They heard Hanna yelling from somewhere and broke the kiss.

"Man, what a kiss" – Caleb and Toby had naughty faces, much to Spencer's displeasure. They were standing on the front porch along with the rest of their friends.

"I think we should go" – Ali offered her hand to help Emily stand up and the brunette took it. Alison clasped their fingers together and walked hand in hand with her.

"I told you, Emison rules!" – Hanna cheered.

"Shut up, Han" – Emily blushed.

"What's going on between you two?" – Aria asked with a smile.

"Honestly, I don't know" – Alison stared at Emily – "But I'm not letting go of this beautiful lady" – She kissed their clasped hands and Emily smiled at how sweet Ali could be.

It was a Merry Christmas after all.


End file.
